Series: Gabriel Allon
Audio CD
Publisher: HarperAudio; Unabridged edition (July 12, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0062320289
ISBN-13: 978-0062320285
Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 1.5 x 5.7 inches
Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3,098 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #31,707 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #7 in Books > Books on CD > Literature & Fiction > Unabridged #11 in Books > Books on CD > Mystery & Thrillers #20 in Books > Books on CD > Literature & Fiction > General
I started The Black Widow yesterday and finished it today because I couldn’t put it down – seriously, I only slept 3 hours last night because I had to keep going back to this book. I’ve read every book in Daniel Silva’s Gabriel Allon series, and this is one of the very best. The Black Widow takes the issue of ISIS head-on, dealing with things that have occurred already, and things that could occur, but hopefully won’t. This book really resonated with me because it brings most of the action to the United States for the first time in the Allon series – a nightmare scenario to be sure, but all the more interesting since we’re the subject. Also, the plot line of this book is well developed, crystal clear, and keeps you on the edge of your seat. The book starts with a major act of terror by ISIS in France. In order to inherit a previously unknown Van Gogh painting willed to him by a prominent friend killed in the attack, the French government wants Gabriel to find the perpetrators. This leads the Office team to recruit a woman doctor in Jerusalem and train her to infiltrate ISIS. It’s discovered that a major ISIS strike in the United States is imminent, and the intelligence services of Israel, Jordan, France, England, and the United States work together to try to stop it from occurring. Writing from Gabriel Allon’s Israeli perspective, Mr. Silva is blunt in characterizing the strengths and weaknesses of the countries intrinsic to the story, including ours. He is so well-informed and prescient about what the bad guys of the world are up to, that whenever I read any of Mr. Silva’s books I wish they were required reading for everyone in government. That all this brilliant insight is given to us in the form of a story so well-written and engaging is Mr. Silva’s unique talent.
When our key operative in secret Israeli-intelligence, Gabriel Allon, was first introduced by bestselling author Daniel Silva in The Kill Artist in 2004, I never expected the protagonist to outlast his contemporaries. He easily did that and not only outlived them but is getting toug her and better. In the space of just twelve years, Daniel Silva churned out Gabriel Allon thrillers at a frenetic pace, taking the total to sixteen exciting novels – one every nine months - leaving the readers breathless with the pleasure of reading and anticipation. With each new installment, Gabriel Allon is growing stronger and there’s no stopping him. The latest - The Black Widow - the sixteenth in the Gabriel Allon series is one of the best thrillers I have read in recent months.The Black Widow by Daniel Silva takes the series to a new level as Gabriel Allon stands at a crossroad. He is no longer the same person. With the cycle of life catching up on him, he is happily married to Chiara, who recently gave birth to twins - Raphael, and Irene - he seems the average normal husband-dad next door. His field days are almost and he is set to take over as the new director in the Office. But when massive bombings ripped through a Jewish neighborhood in Paris, he is called upon to render field service one more time. With the same steely determination and strength, one is transported to Paris, Jerusalem, England, and the United States and back again as Gabriel Allon planned and executed a manhunt for the perpetrators. As the setting crisscrossed cities, countries and continents, Daniel Silva raised the tempo with each unfolding scene, taking the reader on a thrill ride that never relents. Several new characters are also introduced.
Daniel Silva's "The Black Widow" is a tragically timely novel that is all the more unnerving because it mirrors current events. France is rocked by a wave of terror, and European leaders are desperate to prevent further carnage. Gabriel Allon, who will be the next chief of the Israeli Secret Intelligence Service, undertakes what he believes to be a vital mission. He and his colleagues convince Dr. Natalie Mizrahi, a Jewish physician who is fluent in French and Arabic, to pose as Dr. Leila Hadawi, a woman who is willing to sacrifice her life to help ISIS defeat its enemies. Natalie's handlers hope that she will funnel vital information to them about planned attacks and the mastermind behind them.The book is set in such locales as Beirut, Syria, Israel, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, and Washington. Silva focuses less on Gabriel and his team's heroics than on the inner workings of ISIS. We observe with fearful anticipation as Natalie tries to pass as a true believer, knowing that if she makes a single misstep, she will be summarily executed. The villain is Saladin, a brilliant strategist whose code name is that of the fabled warrior known for uniting the Muslim world and liberating Jerusalem from the Crusaders. "The Black Widow" is dramatic, suspenseful, and chilling in its depiction of the ruthlessness and brutality of radical extremists, who will not lay down their arms until they bring Western civilization to its knees. They are Internet savvy, use social media to their advantage, and employ advanced encryption programs to avoid detection.Although there are scenes that depict Gabriel as a devoted husband and father and a talented art restorer, Silva concentrates more on politics and espionage than on personal matters.
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